TikTok Add to Music App has expanded into 19 additional countries. Photo Credit: Franck
One month after debuting an “Add to Music App” feature in the US and the UK, TikTok is bringing the tool to 19 new countries.
The controversial video platform officially unveiled the Add to Music App expansion today. As its name suggests, Add to Music App, appearing alongside songs on TikTok, enables users to save tracks to playlists on streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music.
(As was also the case in the release that TikTok forwarded to DMN about Add to Music App last month, the latest announcement on the subject rather conspicuously mentions Spotify and Amazon Music but, beyond a small section of a promotional image, doesn’t reference Apple Music whatsoever.)
Long touted for its perceived effectiveness as a music-discovery tool, TikTok has now brought Add to Music App to (besides the aforesaid US and UK) Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Addressing the Add to Music App buildout in a statement, TikTok global head of music business development Ole Obermann highlighted TikTok users’ “incredible response” thus far, with distribution/product partnerships head (and four-year BlackRock vet) Lindsey Kelt touting the “transformational feature” in remarks of her own.
The expanded availability of Add to Music App represents only the newest in a long line of music-centered initiatives for TikTok, which has reportedly topped $10 billion in consumer spending since launch.
Notwithstanding the ample government scrutiny that TikTok is facing, including several bans, multimillion-dollar fines, and lawsuits concerning the app’s alleged harmful impact upon children and teens, the popular ByteDance-owned platform has during 2023 inked a number of agreements in and around the music sphere.
Among these pacts are tie-ups with Disney, Live Nation/Ticketmaster, DistroKid, Rotana Music, and, perhaps most notably, Warner Music Group. Meanwhile, aside from the expansion of its namesake standalone streaming service, TikTok has added artist accounts, started organizing in-person concerts, and doubled down on its talent-discovery and -promotion efforts on the year.
Looking forward to 2024, it’ll be worth closely following the app’s moves on the music side – especially because it will enter the year with its SoundOn distribution service as well as the previously described TikTok Music in place and, significantly, supported by all manner of smaller-scale offerings.
Bigger picture, though history suggests the purported concerns of federal lawmakers and agencies in the States won’t drive concrete regulatory action, reports have indicated that TikTok is prepping a subscription-focused pivot in response to the forthcoming implementation of EU data laws. Meanwhile, competitors including Meta’s Reels are reportedly making waves on both the usership and viewership fronts.
